Around the end of August, my focus turns from summer concerts, pissing off the neighbors with drunken night swimming, and wondering what happened to the Braves this season, to my one true passion, College Football. As a die hard member of the Dawgnation you will find me tailgating in Athens on a fall Saturday, rain or shine, hot or cold, being that “obnoxious” UGA fan. Please don’t act like you are any better because you hate UGA and the fans, no matter what team you follow, if you love the SEC, you are “that guy” too.
This season was supposed to be the big one for the DAWGS, number one preseason, a NFL style QB and the second coming of Herschel.
At least it sounded good in theory. The Blackout was a funeral, Jacksonville was a joke, and the bumblebees acted like they had won the national championship. However, 10-3 is not bad considering our weak defensive line. It could be worse; we could have been UT or Auburn. That’s one element of the SEC that I love, a team could be the biggest threat one season, and months later they could be the “what happened this year?” team. God I love the SEC.
There is a book by Clay Travis called Dixieland Delight which chronicles his time spent at every campus in the SEC. He is a UT fan, but for the most part stays unbiased. I would love to do the same thing, but my book would be less about stats and school history, and more about the tailgating scene and passion of the fans. Still a good book and worth reading.
Some say 34 College Bowl Games is too many. I like it. You get a chance to see how conferences really match up. Now do I think a lot of folks down here got excited about the Roadys Humanitarian Bowl? No, but I did sit there and watch it, because it was college football. Even more, in this economy, if a bowl game brings some money to your city, more power to ya.
While some say the BCS doesn’t always get it right, they proved me wrong this year. I was shocked, and impressed with Ole Miss and originally thought Utah never had a chance against Alabama. I laughed out loud at the Bumble Bees getting stomped by LSU. Normally I like GT and hope good things for them, but after their (3-point) victory over UGA the “wreck” bandwagon almost tipped over, and new shirt sales were up 300%. This is the same team that couldn’t sell out a Thursday night ESPN game against ACC rival Miami. In the Bee’s defense, they most likely spent too much time sizing up their “we finally beat Georgia” rings and didn’t watch any LSU film.
I hope the SEC is represented well in the BCS championship game, but refuse to root for Florida.
Another College Football season is done. My waistline is a bit bigger from parking lot grilled burgers, and late night trips to Club Pizza in Athens. My wallet a bit smaller, my wardrobe filled with more UGA shirts that don’t fit, and while I am indeed disappointed, I can’t wait till August.
Mixmaster Mark..